gaps. This could address concerns about individuals missing distribution of food, tarps, or other assistance materials. One sticking point is government reluctance to allow UNHCR to lead the protection sector beyond the government-recognized refugee camps. Discussions between the ISCG and the Bangladesh government on this point are ongoing. An expanded role for UNHCR should continue to be pursued even as implementation of the new coordination strategy begins. Another promising development is the pledge made by Bangladesh at the Leaders’ Summit on Refugees at the UN in September 2016, in which Bangladesh said it would issue information cards that would provide protection and access to basic services, including freedom of movement, access to livelihood, and informal education opportunities.13 The information cards would be issued as a result of the first census of Rohingya in Bangladesh, carried out in June 2016, and extended following the post-October 2016 entry of Rohingya. The results of that census are expected within weeks of the writing of this report. Already, this exercise may provide some form of protection; aid workers told RI of cases in which possession and presentation of a census receipt to the authorities have helped Rohingya avoid arrest. While the census was generally viewed as a positive step, especially with the government’s decision to extend it to cover new arrivals, some concerns were expressed by aid workers. One pointed out that the accuracy of the census was subject to challenge, since it took place in June, during Ramadan and the rainy season, and while the locations and movements of new arrivals was still somewhat chaotic. He suggested efforts to update the census should be carried out, particularly in the interest of getting a more accurate picture of humanitarian needs. decade by silt build ups, was first suggested in 2015, and was raised again in January 2017. It was again met by widespread condemnation by the international community, but reportedly continues to be mentioned in government meetings. The government should end such discussions. The Added Challenge of Trauma Adding to the fundamental humanitarian challenges has been the adverse impact of the trauma experienced by the Rohingya. The new arrivals brought with them not only horrendous stories but also the physical and mental scars of the abuses they experienced or witnessed in Myanmar. Even months later, several of the refugees with whom RI met had scars or burns from attacks suffered at the hands of security forces in Myanmar. All of them said they had experienced or witnessed abuses directly. Many new arrivals told of burned villages and houses or of large numbers of men arrested, many not to be seen again. Ahmed, a 16-year-old boy from a village in Maungdaw, told RI, “I saw it with my own eyes, babies and old men thrown into the fire, burned alive.” Several women said they had witnessed or been victims of rape. Many sought treatment upon arrival in Bangladesh. [Insert Story Box] Farida*, a 30-year-old mother from northern Rakhine State, told RI how her village was burnt to the ground in the span of three hours. Her grandfather and brothers were killed straightaway by Myanmar security forces. Her aunts and many other women were raped. Her husband was taken away by the military, and she still doesn’t know where he is or if he is alive. She lost two of her five children when they were pushed into a burning building. She fled by night across the border into Bangladesh and the Kutupalong makeshift settlement, where she has lived for the past six months. “Day to day I face painful memories. I do lots of praying,” she told RI. “Remembering is a kind of disease.” *Name changed for the purpose of protection. New opportunities for progress co-exist with continuing challenges, including ambiguous signals from the government. For example, there are reports of renewed discussion of largely condemned plans to relocate Rohingya to an uninhabited island prone to flooding through much of the year. The idea to move Rohingya to Thengar Char, an island in the Bay of Bengal formed just within the last 15 www.refugeesinternational.org